Shape supporting members for brassieres and related articles



Aug. 17, 1954 scH MIDT 2,686,312

G. SHAPE SUPPORTING MEMBERS FOR BRASSIERES AND RELATED ARTICLES Filed April 5, 1952 INVENTOR. 6'05 774 5634/ 7/07- Patented Aug. 17, 1954 TED STAES r OFFICE SHAPE SUPPORTING MEMBERS FOR BRAS- SIERES AND RELATED ARTICLES Gustav Schmidt, Coburg, Germany, assignor to Escora-Corsct-Fabrik Eduard Schmidt G. m. b. H., Coburg, Germany, a German company 8 Claims.

This invention relates to washable brassieres, corsets, bodices, girdles, belts, etc., and more particularly to form-shaping and retaining members for use with such articles.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide form-shaping support members for articles of the general type, above referred to, which members are water resistant and retain their shape at the temperatures to which they are normally exposed, such as body temperatures, and which members are also sufiiciently pliable or yielding to follow closely the body contours without exerting undue pressure.

Another more specific object of the invention is to provide form-shaping supporting members comprising the breast-supporting cup portions of a brassiere and also retaining members resting against and following the contours of the thorax portions just below the breasts.

Another object of the invention is to provide, for the purpose aforesaid, a material composed of several layers bonded together, one layer of the said material being made of pliable and water resistant material such as a thermoplastic while the other layer or layers are made of fabric. The fabric layers may be disposed on one side or both sides of the thermoplastic layer.

Still another object of the invention is to provide stifieners for an article of the general type, above referred to, which stiifeners may consist of ribs formed by the thermoplastic material itself or of inserts such as rods made of metal or whalebone.

As will be apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention, the invention permits to produce articles of the general type, above referred to, which are form-shaping and supporting, washable and reasonably insensitive to perspiration.

In the accompanying drawing several new pre ferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of a strapless brassiere according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the layers of the material used for the members according to the invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective front view of a long brassiere according to the invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modification of the material used for members according to the invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 65 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a modification of Fig. 6 showing stiffening beads of a somewhat different shape, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View of material according to the invention showing a thermoplastic layer of gradually decreasing thickness.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the strapless brassiere according to this figure comprises two support members each formed by a cup-shaped portion H3 and a depending portion I l faired in the base rim of portion [0, integral therewith. The two support members of the brassiere are joined by a fabric portion l2 and attached to straps it of conventional design for securing the brassire in position. Each of the support members it! and H is made of a multi-ply material according to the invention. This material is composed of inner fabric layer 54, intermediate form-preserving and formed layer 15 and an outer fabric layer it, as can best be seen on Fig. 2. While generally the use of an inner and an outer fabric layer is preferable, it is in certain instances also practical to employ an inner fabric layer only as is shown on Fig. 5. Furthermore, the intermediate layer may have perforations ll as is shown on Fig. 3.

The intermediate layer 55 consists of a thermoplastic material which is water resistant and permanent as to shape at ordinary temperatures, such as body temperature, but sufficiently pliable or flexible to adapt itself, after being properly pre-formed, to: the contours of the body without exerting undue pressure. I have found that a vinyl polymerisat, particularly polyvinyl chloride, is highly suitable for the purpose.

The fabric layer or layersseveral layers of fabric may be provided on each side of the thermoplastic layermay be woven, netted, knotted or plaited from threads. The fabric layers may also be formed of single fibers for example in the form of a felted material. A lace material or a lustrous material can also be used. On the side of the brassiere facing the skin of the wearer a soft fabric is particularly advantageous.

It is essential for the purpose of the invention that the fabric material be firmly bonded to the thermoplastic layer over the entire or substantially the entire surface of the fabric layer or layers. If a fabric is made of threads, all or practically all the threads should be firmly secured to the thermoplastic material wherever the fabric material is in contact with the thermoplastic layer. With a fabric layer or layers consisting of felted material, practically all the fibers on the side of the felt layer abutting against the thermoplastic layer should be firmly bonded to the thermoplastic layer. It is also essential that the fibers of the fabric layer or layers are not bonded to the thermoplastic layer throughout the whole thickness of the fibrous material since then the fibrous material would substantially lose its fibrous properties and would become in eifect a layer of fibrous material embedded in the material of the thermoplastic layer.

The desired firm union between the fibrous material and the thermoplastic layer without causing the aforementioned undesirable bonding of the fibrous material throughout its thickness can be attained by pressing together the thermoplastic layer and the fibrous material at a temperature at which the thermoplastic material just becomes sufficiently tacky to bind the surface fibers of the fibrous material. With the comparatively low pressure generally used for the purpose here in question, the required temperatures are usually at the border of the softening temperature of the thermoplastic material.

As previously mentioned, the nature and thickness of the thermoplastic layer are selected so that the cup-shaped portions I and depending portions I I are on one hand sufiiciently pliable to be comfortable and on the other hand possess sufficient stiffness to provide an adequate support for the breasts. The thickness of the thermoplastic layer is preferably between 0.1 and 2.0 mm., preferably between 1 and 2 mm.

Generally it is advisable to employ a multi-ply member which has the same thickness over its entire area. However, in certain instances it may be advantageous to increase the stiffness of the thermoplastic layer at certain portions thereof by providing additional layers of thermoplastic material at such portions so that such reinforced portions have a total thickness which may be two times or more the thickness of the remainder of the thermoplastic layer. Instead of providing a layer which increases in thickness step by step, a gradual increase or decrease in the thickness of the thermoplastic layer may also be employed. Fig. 8 shows a thermoplastic layer I5 which decreases in thickness toward its center portion.

The support members according to the invention can be conveniently manufactured by first preparing fiat multi-ply material by superposing a thermoplastic layer and one or more layers of fibrous material, for example a strip of a woven fabric, and then bonding the layers together by the application of pressure and heat. The multiply material, thus produced, is then molded by application of heat and pressure. If desired, an additional fibrous layer may be added during the molding operation.

In many cases it is advantageous to apply the thermoplastic layer to a preformed layer of fibrous material, for which purpose the fibrous material may have a configuration in accordance with the final configuration or approximately the final configuration of the article.

The adhesion between the thermoplastic material and the fibrous material can be increased by the use of agents promoting tackiness of the thermoplastic material. For example thermoplastic materials can be used which contain a certain amount of solvents or swelling agents or such solvents or swelling agents can be added. The choice of the solvents and swelling agents depends of course upon the type of the used thermoplastic material. It has been found that generally vinylacrylic acid polymerisates are suitable.

Benzene can be employed as solvent and ethylalcohol as swelling agent.

The breast-supporting portions I0 and the depending portions I I may be additionally stifiened for instance by inserting suitably shaped rods made of whalebone or metal in pockets provided for this purpose along the marginal portions of the cup portions I0 and/or the depending portions II. The use of such stiffening rods is parjticularly advisable for the strapless brassire according to Fig. 1.

It has been found to be particularly advantageous to stiffen the support members themselves rather than to provide separate stiffening rods. According to Fig. 6 either the portions ID or the portions I I are composed of a thermoplastic layer I8, an inner soft fibrous layer I9 and an outer fabric layer 20. The marginal edge of the support members adjacent to one of the straps I3 is reinforced by the formation of a bead 2 I. With a strapless brassire the upper edge of the brassiere may also be reinforced by a beading such as shown at 2 I.

Fig. 7 shows a portion I0 or II which is provided at both side edges with headings 22 and 23. Any other portions of the brassiere may be stiflened, if desired, by providing an appropriate beading.

The hereinbefore described cup portions I0 and the depending portions II, if any, are secured to the intermediate portions I2 and the straps I3 of the brassiere by any suitable means such as sewing.

The cup portions and the depending portions can be employed in connection with various types of brassieres. Fig. 4 shows aso-called long brassiere for more mature figures. The brassiere according to Fig. 4.- shows breast-supporting cup portions I0, thorax supporting depending portions I I and a chest or stomach supporting portion 24. The brassire may be secured by means of straps 25 and hooks in a conventional manner.

The breast-supporting portions and/or the depending portions accordin to the invention can also be incorporated in other items of female Wearing apparel such as corsets, girdles, belts, bathing suits, slips, etc.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A brassiere comprising two breast support members, each of said members having a.cup portion shaped to support the lower half of one breast of the wearer and a depending portion faired in the base rim of the cup portion integral therewith and shaped to fit the contour of the respective thorax portion of the wearer, the free lower edge of said depending portion being substantially straight and generally parallel to the upper edge of the cup portion, each of said support members being made of a laminated material composed of a layer of pliable plastic sheet material and a coextensive layer of pliable fibrous fabric bonded with its fibers to the plastic sheet over substantially the entire area of contact, the pliability of said laminated material being such that it adapts itself in a yielding manner to the shape of the breasts and the contour of the respective thorax portion while, at the same time, generally retaining its form, a soft inner fabric strip joining the two support members in breast supporting relationship with said straight edges of the support members in alignment, and two outer fastening strips made of fabric extending from the respective sides of the support members.

2. A brassire according to claim 1 and further comprising a second pliable fibrous fabric layer bonded to the plastic sheet material on the side thereof opposite to said first fabric layer and c0- extensive with said latter layer.

3. A brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the said plastic layer is made of a vinyl polymerisat.

4. A brassire according to claim 3, wherein the said vinyl po-lymerisat is a polyvinyl chloride.

5. A brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the said plastic layer is of non-uniform thickness.

6. A brassire according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of said plastic layer decreases toward the center portion of said layer.

7. A brassire according to claim 1, wherein elongated stifiening ribs are formed along the lateral marginal portions of said plastic layer.

8. A brassire according to claim 7, wherein the said ribs comprise beads formed from said plastic sheet material along the lateral marginal portions thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,304,989 Snowdon Dec. 15, 194 2,462,295 Wittenberg Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 656,197 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1951 969,259 France May 17, 1950 

